title: Return to play guidelines after a head injury.
abstract: Presently there are no universally accepted definitions of the grades of concussion or criteria for when to allow the athlete to return to competition after a head injury. What is agreed upon is that in order to avoid cumulative brain damage and the second impact syndrome, no athlete still suffering post-concussion symptoms should return to competition. This article is meant to serve only as a guideline as the final decision in every instance is a clinical judgement.
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgery Service, Emerson Hospital, Concord, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Cantu
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013177:Sports; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices